1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to vehicle occupant sensing methods and apparatuses.
2. Background Art
Detection of occupants in a vehicle is necessary for improved performance of safety systems, as well as for activation of comfort and convenience systems. Sensor technologies known in the art include beam-emitting devices such as infrared, ultrasound, microwave, and capacitance-based sensors, the latter being able to fill a volume and respond to the different conductivity of the occupant versus that of air and surrounding materials. These sensor technologies are usefully employed, in various embodiments in various locations in a vehicle. The present invention is of novel configurations providing a plethora of advantages over known systems, as described below.